Two tough losses to West Lauderdale left Kosciusko baseball in second place in Region 4-4A heading into the playoffs. The Whippets were defeated 2-0 at home and 4-3 on the road.
The 2-0 game was a pitchers’ duel between the Whippets' Jacob Nunn and West Lauderdale's Ian Herrington. Nunn allowed five hits, fanned seven and walked two against an opponent averaging more than nine runs a game.
The Whippets' best scoring opportunity came in the seventh when Larson Fancher reached on an error and Cooper Black doubled, putting the tying runs in scoring position with one out. But Herrington was able to preserve the shutout with a fielders choice grounder and a strikeout.
Ty Ramage had a two-out double in the fourth, but was left stranded.
Coach Cole McBride said there were some well hit balls by the Whippets right at fielders.
West Lauderdale took a 1-0 lead in the third when Carson Smith opened the inning with a double moved to third on a bunt and scored on a ground out. The second run came in the fourth on a double by Kayden Peoples and a single by Smith.
In the rematch, Kosciusko took a 1-0 lead on an unearned run in the second. The Knights tied it on a homer by Leeds Jenkins in the fourth and went ahead with three runs in the fifth,
The Whippets battled back with two in the sixth. Landon Wallace walked, Larson Fancher singled and both scored on a double by Black.
Kosciusko finished 8-2 in 4-4A.
The Whippets will open the playoffs with a best-of-three series against the third place team from 2-4A. The schedule calls for a home game April 25, followed by a road game April 28 and a home game, if needed, April 29.
There are three strong teams in 2-4A – Pontotoc, South Pontotoc and Ripley. The order of finish has not been determined. Pontotoc ended the Whippets season a year ago, winning in three games in the second round of the playoffs.
McBride feels good about his team. “They’re a bunch of hard-nosed kids. They’re tough and they don’t back down from anybody.”
Prior to the playoffs, Kosciusko played Germantown Tuesday, has a road game with Pisgah Friday, a home game with Germantown Saturday and a home game with Pearl April 20. Germantown and Pearl are 6A teams.
“We’re not going to play anybody in the playoffs, regardless of who it is, that’s better than the teams we have been playing. West Lauderdale, Germantown, teams like that,” McBride said.
He said a key will be limiting strikeouts. There were 17 in the West Lauderdale games.
“When we put the ball in play, good things happen.”
